RDDA plans to operate theater when renovations, upgrades are completed

The Ritzville Downtown Development Association is moving ahead with its plans to renovate and reopen The New Ritz Theatre.

When Dora Kramer and her family opted to retire from running the local movie house, the RDDA was faced with a number of difficult decisions.

The Kramer family ended its tenure as operators following the July 5, 6 and 7 showing of Monsters University.

The RDDA met Monday, July 8, to consider its options. The nonprofit organization has not yet raised all the funds necessary to replace the outdated electrical system or purchase the digital projection and sound system the motion picture industry now requires.

The group has collected more than $12,000. The bulk of which came from a fundraiser conducted by the Ralston Grange. The RDDA needs to raise tens of thousands more to complete a full upgrade. The total amount needed for the project is not yet clear.

An electrician with local ties has volunteered his labor to rewire the building, but can’t start work until after Labor Day.

RDDA President John Rankin and the rest of committee agree that the theater is a community treasure that must be saved. They also agreed the theater should remain closed until the renovations are complete.

Finding a short-term operator until repairs begin wasn’t considered a viable option. The RDDA also weighed its long term options regarding the day-to-day operation of the movie house.

Since the early July meeting, the group has determined it can hire staff and operate the theater rather than having to seek an interested party to lease the business.

During the July 8 session, Rankin discussed the various tasks that could be completed before the electrical work begins. The theater seats need to be removed and refurbished. The ceiling needs to be patched and painted and the fabric on the walls removed and the walls painted.

“We need to take this time to do the work,” RDDA member Jennifer Saunders said. “We need to take out the seats, do the floors, walls, ceiling and put more lights in the auditorium. We truly have to have a work party to get this done.”

Fellow member Carly Gillette acknowledged that the RDDA is facing a huge project.

“That is a tremendous undertaking,” she said. “There are six of us here. There’s no way we can do this alone so how are we going to get this all done? I think we need to open this up to the community. I think that’s something that’s easily done.”

A quartet of citizens concerned about the future of the theater also participated in the discussion.

Jason Kiel and his family consider the theater a community treasure. He encouraged the board to develop a clear plan and notify the community.

“I think the board needs to sell a vision,” he said. “Great leaders sell visions then they recruit followers. This isn’t about a business venture it’s about community. It’s critical from my time here that this theater succeed. My family has benefitted. We have some great memories.”

A day after the meeting Saunders, the RDDA secretary, said the group has a direction it intends to go.

“We are hoping to have a goal setting and visioning work session to develop a concise list of items that need to be accomplished, the order they need to be accomplished in, an estimated cost for each task and a suggested timeline,” she wrote in an email to The Journal. “Some of the tasks will be done by community work parties, others will be handled by board members or specific individuals with certain skill sets.”

The visioning meeting is planned for today, Thursday, Aug. 1. Saunders said the RDDA now has a certified project manager on board to assist with the project.

The RDDA intends to learn from others who have been forced to make major investment in a community theater in order to comply with the motion picture industries conversion from 35mm film to digital movie files.

“In the meantime, we are reaching out to other communities that have gone through this process already and [we] are looking for other non-profit organizations that are running theaters to glean information from them,” Saunders said.